Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to recent reports that according to a former British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the British Prime Minister gave a written guarantee of a number of side deals to Sinn Féin leaders at the Weston Park negotiations in 2001; if the Irish Government had any knowledge of these side deals; if he will raise this issue with his British counterpart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10506/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Following intensive discussions at Weston Park in July 2001 involving the Irish and British Governments and the parties, the two Governments published the elements of a package which they believed would help deliver the full and early implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The package covered all four of the then outstanding issues, namely policing, normalisation, the stability of the institutions and decommissioning. While addressed to party leaders, and intended to ensure the effective functioning of the Agreement, the proposals were immediately made public by the two Governments. The published proposals were the basis on which contacts with the parties were subsequently pursued. The Government is not aware of, and of course could not be bound by, any other communications between participants in the talks.

While the process of securing full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has been a difficult one, with progress often less than we would wish, it is widely recognised that the discussions at Weston Park, and the proposals subsequently published by the two Governments, played a significant part in unblocking the negotiations. This process, while not without difficulties and setbacks, led ultimately to the St. Andrew's Agreement, and will hopefully culminate in the restoration of the institutions by the 26 March deadline.